Return of the silver surfers

People may always feel young at heart but age eventually creeps up on us and can often take its toll. As we age, we become less sharp, less agile and have less energy. So it is natural then to ease into a lower gear, retreat from the front line, put the slippers on, the feet up and start drinking cocoa in earnest.

"The last thing old fogies want to be bothering with is PCs," was the argument made in the 'Luddite or Geek' debate in vnunet.com's sister publication Computeractive. The Geek was scathing of older people's ability to grasp technology and, as a consequence, Computeractive was inundated with letters from some of its more senior readers maintaining that they have grasped the computer world with both hands and are a giving it a damn good shake.

So does the Geek have a point or is he just being cynical? Rather than cast this issue aside, we've dragged him away from his 10-hour marathon game of Quake III to set the record straight. Read on to find out what the senior set has to say about technology.

They don't make 'em like they used to

Many older people are new to PCs and computer technology and, like most of us, feel a little apprehensive when dealing with something new. This is nothing to be embarrassed about because we all - no matter how good we are at grasping new things - needed a little help when we took our first tentative steps on the long road to mastering computers.

If something is difficult to grasp, conquering those difficulties becomes that much sweeter. Computeractive was swamped with emails from senior citizens who are more than capable of overcoming the difficulties as they develop their IT know-how.

This kind of persistence is exemplified by reader Ronald Wilson from Pathfinder in Devon. "I'm 75 years old and had a severe stroke several years ago, but I can still manage my computer with my one good hand," he said. "I help my neighbours with their computers as well. All my 'students' are over 65. They have all learned word processing and printing, as well as how to send and receive emails." With a little bit of work and dedication, people can move mountains.

The Geek also overlooked the fact that technology didn't begin with the latest PlayStation. Those so-called 'wrinklies' are the ones who laid the groundwork for the advances of the PC age. For example, Alan Turing cracked the German Enigma code during World War II with a computer he designed himself.

"I know several men of about 80 who, at the age of 20, could pilot a four-engine bomber, night after night, 600 hundred miles into Germany, then fly back to land at blacked-out airfields with an aircraft full of holes and the odd feathered engine. One or two of these men can even boot up a computer and send an email," explained David Hearsey of East Yorkshire.

This kind of resolve is typical of so many of our mature readers. After all, PCs are just another tool to help make life more pleasant, so there's no reason why everyone shouldn't get to grips with them.

In fact, we found that a number of seniors could even teach PC youngsters a thing or two about technology. Jan Swanton from Ipswich said: "I'm a wrinkly and proud of it! I was determined not become another nice, middle aged lady who was afraid of technology. Now I earn a fortune as a systems administrator, buy my 1960s music CDs cheaper online and watch the director's cut of Woodstock on my PC."

As with most older people, Joyce King is keen to stay independent as long as possible. She is 81 and suffers from arthritis. "I send emails all over the world. I don't need to know what goes on under the bonnet. A young friend's seven year-old son has offered to lend me some of his computer games. I feel I have arrived," she enthused.

Trouble with the lingo

Jargon is an obstacle for anyone who enters a new arena, whether it's working out a mortgage or simply wanting to get something out of using a PC. That's why Computeractive goes to great lengths to avoid using it.

Unfortunately, that's not always possible, so it does its best to bust the jargon where it can. The Geek was on very shaky ground when he suggested that older people are less able to negotiate the jargon-littered obstacle course of the PC.

We've found that senior citizens are actually winning the battle against jargon, as the following letter from John Hough of Cornwall illustrated. "I use my PC, the internet and a webcam to link up with my family. I use a CD-RW drive, digital camera, an ISP, PDAs, FireWire, MP3, a TFT monitor and Wap. Sorry, am I losing you?" he asked sarcastically. Clearly for Mr Hough, advancing in years does not mean being fazed by the bombardment of jargon that peppers our PC screens.

Not only have senior citizens grasped the lingo, they also make up a large share of the PC and peripherals market. The over 50s make up the fastest growing age group in the sale and use of PCs. Older people have traditionally been wary of the internet but that's no longer the case. They've come to realise that it is a useful, informative application and have taken to it in their droves.

Market research company National Opinion Polls Research Group suggests that older people perceive themselves - and are being perceived by others - as younger than before. In their survey earlier this year, 89 per cent of respondents said that re-training is not a problem for older people and that they are able to take on new skills. Two thirds of respondents agree that, although young people tend to know more about the internet than older people, they are catching up fast.

Older surfers use the internet in their own way. If you look at online gaming, for example, you'll find that it's only partly about teenaged, thrill-seeking, shoot 'em ups. Online games such as chess, bridge and backgammon are just as popular with their own constituency. Good examples of sites catering for this phenomenon include the English Bridge Union and Backgammon Galore (see links below).

Many people fall into the trap of assuming that older people make more mistakes than younger people do. Older people are normally more patient and are prepared to wait for results rather than wanting them yesterday.

This also affects how mistakes are treated and, if anything, older people find this easier to accept. In the opinion of many teachers, this quality actually makes older people better learners. IT tutor Jackie Sherman explained: "Good learners have characteristics in common, whatever their age. They feel able to make mistakes, to learn from them and are prepared to have a go."

Former teacher Andrew Tedstone from West Bromwich said: "I much prefer dealing with silver surfers. They are much less demanding and take the time and trouble to think about what they do."

Never too late to learn

Some older people have a mental block about education, believing that school is for children, but it is never too late to learn. There are plenty of local training centres around the country, where anyone can learn more about PCs. One such centre is the Leek College of Further Education in Staffordshire.

It teaches Computer Literacy and Information Technology, the European Computer Driving Licence and Integrated Business Technology, as well as answering the kind of basic technology related questions that new PC users often have.

College tutor Sue Edwards said: "Many of our older pupils have family members and friends around the world and email allows them to stay in touch more easily. We have one 89-year-old who is always keen to learn and says the classes have given her a new lease of life.

"We're also a Learn Direct centre, which is a scheme that encourages learning in a wide range of subjects through online courses. People come to the college to enrol but can carry out their studies online in their homes."

The scheme is backed by the government and funded by the European Social Fund. If you are interested in using the scheme, phone the help line or check out its website below. Depending on your circumstances, you may be entitled to a free training course.

Eric Marwood, 68, from Nottingham, attends a Network Learning Centre that offers government grant-assisted computer training. The normal fee is £225 but with subsidies it can come down to as little as £45. In all, it covers 90 hours of training over a six-month period.

"The first six weeks take you through the basic concepts of IT and the culture shock of this whole new language and then it continues with various applications," explained Eric. The scheme is restricted to Nottinghamshire but there are similar schemes throughout the nation. Again, check with your local training provider, as you might find a course that suits you.

If training does not appeal to you, then why not browse websites that encourage older people in their use of PCs? Good examples are LaterLife, Seniority and Hells Geriatrics, which is a particularly lively site. It declares: "For too long the world wide web has been the domain of callow youth. Now it is time for the over 50s to fight back and claim their rightful status in cyberspace."

Young at heart

So, who wins the debate? Well we wouldn't dream of making your mind up for you but it looks as if the Geek is comprehensively wrong. There is no reason why senior citizens shouldn't use PCs as much as younger folk. If you're in doubt, then read Computeractive because one of its main goals is breaking down preconceived ideas about who can and can't use new technology. If you have a can-do attitude, you can achieve anything with your PC.

CASE STUDY 1: If ever a whiz there was

Grant Dixon from Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire was born in 1916, but his list of technological achievements leaves many a young whiz kid in the shade. While at school in 1933, Grant built his first television and that set the stage for a lifetime of tinkering with electronics.

When computers came along, it was only natural for Grant to get involved. When he retired in 1976, he decided to emulate his TV-building exploits and built his first computer. "The first PC I built had only 2Kb of memory. At the time I thought how am I going to fill that?" he said.

Now Grant has three PCs: a desktop, a notebook and another desktop dedicated to receiving weather satellite information. Using Met Office-style software, he receives a picture of local weather every 30 minutes. He then animates the pictures to show how weather changes over the course of a day.

Grant took up web design in 1996, when he was 80! He used some university notes on HTML that he got from his son to get him started and soon designed a website for the Narrow Band Television Association. Grant believes that PCs can provide enormous benefits to older people.

"Retirement can be a difficult time for the elderly and a lot of people fall into a lethargic routine," he said. "An interest or a hobby can make all the difference to a pensioner. I work with Age Concern and we do one-to-one taster sessions on PCs with older folk, just to help them out connecting to the internet and so forth. They're a bit surprised to see me. They expect a young whiz kid but I just tell them I'm an old whiz kid."

CASE STUDY 2: What you really, really want

Emma Solomon is co-founder and director of Hairnet, a website dedicated to providing IT training for the over 50s. "When we started four years ago there was a real lack of jargon-free computer training. A lot of older people were put off trying to get into PCs because new technology was associated in the public mind with youth," she explained.

Hairnet is determined to help people overcome this mental block. "Lessons learned in classroom situations are often difficult to translate into practical benefits in the home," Emma said. "We hope to overcome this by focusing mainly on one-to-one training. Work is done on your own PC and you can specify exactly what you want to learn." Courses at Hairnet typically cost about £20 per hour.

Emma continued: "Our typical customer has heard www-this and www-that on the radio and TV, and their curiosity has been aroused. They want the opportunity to decide for themselves whether new technology is for them. It's not our place to sell new technology to them but to explain what it does, what they can get out of it and give them the help they need.

"We find that most people start out by writing letters and surfing the internet. Then they realise that using a PC isn't rocket science. After that they tend to move on to using peripherals like digital cameras, scanners and printers with their PCs."

Most of Hairnet's trainers are also over 50. "They are better trainers, because they have better social skills. They tend to have learned the hard way and so have a greater degree of empathy for those who are learning," said Emma.

If you'd like to explore the training option offered by Hairnet, take a look on the company's website below. If you feel you have something more to offer, you can also fill out an application form to become a trainer.

CONTACTS:

Learn Direct 0800 100 900 www.learndirect.co.uk
Hairnet 0870 241 5091 www.hairnet.org
NOP Research Group www.nop.co.uk
Later Life www.laterlife.com
Seniority www.seniority.co.uk
Hells Geriatrics www.hellsgeriatrics.com
Narrow Band Television Association www.nbtv.wyenet.co.uk
English Bridge Union www.ebuonline.co.uk
Backgammon Galore www.bkgm.com

JARGONBUSTER

CD-RW: Compact disc rewritable format, or blank compact discs which can be recorded on over and over again.

FireWire: A fast data link between your PC and devices such as digital camcorders.

HTML: Hyper Text Markup Language. The language used to create pages for a website. HTML code is written as text that is converted to a web page by a web browser.

ISP: Internet service provider. A company that provides access to the web, usually for a fee. Examples are BT Internet and Virgin.Net.

Kb: Kilobyte. Measure of capacity of a storage device. Equal to 1,024 bytes.

MP3: A standard for compressing digital audio. The sound quality of an MP3 file is close to that of CD audio but requires only a fraction of the storage space.

Notebook: A portable computer, usually around the size of an A4 pad. Also referred to as a laptop.

PDA: Personal digital assistant. A palmtop computer about the size of a pocket calculator. It comes without a keyboard but has a touch-sensitive screen. It uses text recognition for data entry.

TFT: Thin Film Transistor. Technology used to create thin, flat colour screens for such things such as computer monitors and digital cameras. TFT displays are high quality and will display clear, bright images using millions of colours.

Wap: Wireless Application Protocol. A specification for transmitting data, particularly to mobile phones and handheld computers. It allows you to easily access information services and some specially formatted websites from the screen of a mobile device.